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life in the basement has come and gone. we loved living underground, but are excited to practice maintaining a home. join me as i journal chapter two of our life, as we save up, look forward, and plan for a home in the city. as we seek after our great God to glorify Him daily, join in as we figure out what it means to radically pursue Him in "everyday life"

23 January 2012

500,000 little women each year

yesterday, as many of you may know, was sanctity of life day. around the country (and the world), many people, churches, groups, and others recognized the sad anniversary of row vs. wade and the millions of babies who have died at their mother's hands from abortion. since 1984 when president reagan designated jan 22 as national sanctity of human life day, groups and individuals used this day to "celebrate the intrinsic value of all human life" ( https://www.care-net.org/custom/sohlshome.php). 


for me, it has never been hard for me to choose which "side" i am on. to tell you the truth, i dont even recognize that there are sides.
i believe in life. period. end of story. therefore, the legality of abortion isn't a question to me. it is wrong. i believe it should be illegal as it is murder. i believe life starts at conception. 


my beliefs are strong, but if they weren't enough, watching ashley's pregnancy affirmed to me the fact that she was growing a child, not a fetus, inside of her. with all of her complications, she had the unique experience of getting almost weekly views inside her body to watch little rhett form. at 24 weeks, rhett could have survived outside of her womb. how amazing is that?






to say that it is an issue to allow women the right to choose, the right to "reproductive freedom" is a complete scam to me. when a woman chooses to have sex, she must accept the consequences. that's where her choice is. if she doesn't want a child, then she has the responsibility to take precautions to prevent that. it is a life. she couldn't kill it once it was born - at least not without consequences. why should she be allowed then?


there are plenty of options out there- adoption, help, etc. i am a huge supporter of adoption, and grateful for the three women who choose to put their child up for adoption instead of abortion, thereby allowing me to have two wonderful brothers and a precious sister. 


and to the women who have had abortions, i believe that in Christ there is forgiveness and love and hope.


this may seem strong, but it is only a glimpse of how strongly i feel about it.


i encourage you watch this video by john piper and check out the links below. 


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O68MByaMVdM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>




For further reading, check out the following articles:


"We must guard against the reverse blind spot of the pro-abortion people. They talk much about compassion to women in crisis pregnancies and about the pain of being an unwanted child. But they do not talk about the pain, the indignity, the injustice, the brutality done against the unborn in abortion. And one of their primary defenses against the pro-life efforts is to say that we talk a lot about compassion to the unborn but show little concern for mothers in crisis or unwanted children after birth. To which I respond: let's not have this blind spot. Let's not be imbalanced. Let's admit (on both sides of the issue) how imperfect we are. But let's keep the ledger straight...Restricting the right of doctors and mothers to kill unborn children will not result in greater misery for those children. When the heart of a nation is willing to kill its unborn children to avoid having to care for them, it is hard to imagine this heart being willing to care for them. But if the heart of the nation could be turned so that it was no longer willing to kill its unborn children, then it is not so hard to imagine that this heart could care for them." (from http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/kingdom-compassion-and-the-killing-of-children)


"For example, are you willing to explain why a baby's right not to be killed is less important than a woman's right not to be pregnant? Or are you willing to explain why most cities have laws forbidding cruelty to animals, but you oppose laws forbidding cruelty to human fetuses? Are they not at least living animals? Or are you willing to explain why government is unwilling to take away the so-called right to abortion on demand even though it harms the unborn child; yet government is increasingly willing to take away the right to smoke, precisely because it harms innocent non-smokers, killing 3,000 non-smokers a year from cancer and as many as 40,000 non-smokers a year from other diseases? And if you say that everything hangs on whether the fetus is a human child, are you willing to go before national television in the oval office and defend your support for the "Freedom of Choice Act" by holding in your hand a 21 week old fetus and explaining why this little one does not have the fundamental, moral, and constitutional right to life? Are you willing to say to parents in this church who lost a child at that age and held him in their hands, this being in your hands is not and was not a child with any rights of its own under God or under law?" (from http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/being-pro-life-christians-under-a-pro-choice-president)


"God is calling us in this verse—he is calling all Christians—to expose the dark and fruitless work of abortion . . .
  1. To expose the fact that there are 1.5 million abortions in America every year—27 million since the Supreme Court overturned the public conscience of 48 states 19 years ago.
  2. To expose the fact that 30% of all babies conceived in America are killed by abortion.
  3. To expose the fact that medically women are told not to have abortions before the seventh week of pregnancy (see the Yes/Neon booklet), and yet by the eighth week the heart of the baby has been beating for a month, there are measurable brain waves, there is response to touch, there's thumb-sucking, grasping with the hands, swimming with the arms in the amniotic fluid, distinct arms and legs and sexual organs. This much must—not may, must—be present before most abortion centers will cut the baby to pieces with a suction machine 4,000 times a day.
  4. To expose the fact that 9,000 babies were killed after the 21st week of pregnancy in 1987, fully formed and on the brink of being able to breathe for themselves—killed, legally!
  5. To expose the fact that in Minnesota we have a fetal homicide law that makes it "murder to kill an embryo or fetus intentionally, except in cases of abortion"—in other words, it's unlawful to kill the unborn child unless the mother chooses to have it killed. And that is a strange and dark criterion for lawful killing.
  6. To expose the fact that "There is inescapable schizophrenia in aborting a perfectly normal 22 week fetus while at the same hospital, performing intra-uterine surgery on its cousin" (Steve Calvin).
  7. To expose the fact that viability outside the womb is not a criterion of personhood and right to life, because we ourselves don't want to give up our personhood and our right to life if we must be sustained on a respirator or dialysis machine the way a baby has to be sustained by a placenta.
  8. To expose the fact that the size and reasoning power of a tiny person is irrelevant to human personhood because if it were, we might allow tiny and unthinking newborns to be killed.
  9. To expose the fact that genetically human embryos and fetuses are utterly different from all other animal life; if they are just left alone, with nothing added but nourishment, they will grow up.
  10. To expose the fact that if it is unlawful to crush the egg of a bald eagle, it is not excessively restrictive to make it unlawful to crush the egg of a human.
  11. To expose the fact that when two legitimate rights conflict—the right not to be pregnant and the right not to be killed—justice demands that we give place to the greater right, the right that does the least harm—the one that does not willfully kill.
  12. To expose the fact that there are thousands of crisis pregnancy centers in this country ready to help, and almost all of them are free—unlike the abortion mills that charge plenty of money—and the older the baby, the more they charge.
  13. To expose the fact that there are no unwanted babies in Minnesota. Mary Ann Kuharsky (President of ProLife Minnesota) said in the Tribune she would take any baby whose life depended on it, and there are hundreds like her.
  14. To expose the fact that it is hypocritical to speak as though choice were the untouchable absolute in this matter and then turn around and oppose choice in matters of gun-control and welfare support and affirmative action and minimum wage and dozens of other issues where so-called pro-choice people join the demand that people's choices be limited to protect others. It's a sham argument. All choices are limited by life.
  15. To expose the fact that trespassing to save life is not a crime and that it does not undermine our legal system, but on the contrary endorses the one foundation stone without which that legal system in this land will fall, namely, the inalienable right to life. There will be no law but the law of individual choice (=anarchy) if the foundation stone of life's value is destroyed. And abortion is destroying it." (from  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/exposing-the-dark-work-of-abortion)
"With regard to peaceful rescuing I stand where I did three years ago: It is not a crime to trespass to save human life. If a child is choking on a toy in his back yard surrounded by a fence that says, KEEP OUT, NO TRESPASSING, it is not a sin or a crime to jump the fence and try to save the child. If a child is trapped in the second story of a burning home, it is not a sin or a crime to put a ladder to the window and enter without permission to save that child. If a blind child is trapped in the median of a busy street and about to step into traffic, it is not a sin or a crime to cross the street and guide him to safety even if the sign says, “Cross only at crosswalk”. If a child is drowning in a lake where the sign says, “No swimming” it is not a sin or a crime to rush into the water and rescue him." (from http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/abortion-rescuing-and-your-action)


(WARNING- GRAPHIC) Here is a video of an abortion being performed- http://www.abortionno.org/


Here are some chilling facts on abortion and its wide spread destruction on our future generations: http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/


19 January 2012

shutterfly

so i'm a huge fan of sites that make my life easier, and i'm all about some online shopping! so when i found shutterfly a few years ago, i knew i would love it! i have used it to get prints, order custom christmas ornaments, invitaitons, stationary, photo books (lots of them) and more. i love that you can share all of your pictures there and then you can put them out and download them on another computer. i think they are high quality prints and etc that look good and last and i really like the level of service i have recieved from the company. so recently, after receiving a $20 off coupon, i went back to make another photo book. i have been doing these for nathan and i since we have been dating instead of printing a bunch of pictures and putting them in books or frames or never doing anything with them, ever so often i make a book and keep them on our coffee table. its a great way to glimpse back at our story and where all we have been. take a look!

http://whitniandnathan.shutterfly.com/832

enjoy!

hello, rhett!

last week, you might have noticed that i was quite silent. it was a busy week full of normal and extraordinary things. in addition to the usual, ya know laundry, work, being sick (ugh), i had the huge honor of helping welcome rhett steven cash into the world. alright so i did nothing to help other than keep a seat warm in the waiting room, but i was there to cheer! tuesday morning, ash & charlie headed to the hospital and within a few hours, charlie was calling us from behind the l&d doors to tell us that their family was no longer two, but three! so exciting! in the days that followed, nathan and i have enjoyed celebrating with the cash family. ash's pregnancy wasn't exactly textbook, but that was ok because we got lots of extra pre-birth shots. i tell ya, not that i felt differently before, but even more so now, it is impossible for me to look at these pictures of rhett in ash's womb and not view him as a person, a life, created with a purpose, so carefully knit together in his mother's womb.  he is a miracle, a blessing, and a word of our Father. 

we are so excited for the cash family, and can't wait to watch little Rhett grow up!








05 January 2012

my next half:under two hours





























and yes, those are my favorite running shoes :) mizuno wave creations, to be exact.
well friends, its time for me to start training again! in just 10 short weeks, i'll be joining two friends, brittany & jess to run my fourth half marathon. crazy! over the thanksgiving break, i teamed up with my uncle and cousin to run the thanksgiving day half and scored this sweet medal
and although i didn't have the most stellar time (2:07) i definitely earned my turkey! but its a new year, 2012 brings lots of energy and excitement for me, and as i mentioned in my resolutions, this year, i will run a half marathon in under two hours. even if its 1:59:59, i'm determined. the date of the big race is march 18, and the race will be the publix half. i ran it last year in 2:14, so we are shooting at shaving off 14 minutes. totally doable, right? i think so!

not my actual time because when i crossed the start line, there was already several minutes on the clock due to start waves




so i'm getting ready to lace up my shoes & get to work. the last week, i've been easing myself back into running. i took about a month off, which was much needed, but now it is much needed that i get back to work. so i'm going to be sure and include updates on here for you, including race day coverage! here's my training plan, in case you are interested. and as i have mentioned before in my blog, you can follow my training on dailymile, via the widget over there on the right side.

(m=monday, t=tuesday, w=wednesday, th=thursday, f=friday, sa=saturday, su=sunday)
(r=rest, m=miles)
week 1 (starting jan. 9) m=r, t=5reps of 200yd hills, w=5m, th=3m, f=workout, sa=6m, su=3m
week 2 (jan 16) m=r, t=4reps of 600yd hills, w=3m, th=4m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 3 (jan 23) m=r, t=6reps of 200yd hills, w=3m, th=4m, f=workout, sa=7m, su=3m
week 4 (jan 30) m=r, t=5k for time, w=4m, th=6m, f=workout, sa=9m, su=5m
week 5 (feb 5) m=r, t=5k for time, w=3m, th=5m, f=workout, sa=7m, su=3m
week 6 (feb 13) m=r, t=6reps of 880yd hills, w=5m, th=6m, f=workout, sa=10m, su=5m
week 7 (feb 20) m=r, t=6reps of 880yd hills, w=4m, th=7m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 8 (feb 27) m=r, t=4m for time, w=6m, th=7m, f=workout, sa=12m, su=6m
week 9 (march 5) m=r, t=5m, w=5m, th=8m, f=workout, sa=8m, su=3m
week 10 (march12-RACE WEEK!) m=r, t=5m, w=5m, th=8m, f=rest, sa=5k for time, su=13.1!!!!!!

so there ya have it. might have to switch around some days, but thats my plan for the next 10 weeks.
i would love your encouragement, and if you're up for it, a running buddy! pick a mileage and a day, name the place, and i'd love the challenge!!

anyone else planning on running the publix half marathon or full marathon? check out some details here! http://georgiamarathon.com/ 

04 January 2012

quilts for ashley & rhett

so i have been SO excited and longing to write this post- its been in the works since june!!!!!


ever since i found out that ash was expecting sweet little rhett, i had decided that i wanted to make her a quilt for her. now i should say, i had only attempted one quilt before and lets just say its neatly folded, half done, in the top of my closet. but i wanted to do something super special, and i couldnt think of anything much better than a homemade quilt- something that says cozy, time, friendship, thought, planning, effort, excitement, and home. i decided that i couldn't wait until she found out the gender, so i found some beautiful grey fabrics. i love them- and with a cute pattern i found, i laid out a perfect quilt. my friend jamie (who is thebomb.com by the way, the most patient and helpful teacher there ever could be), spent hours with me, teaching me techinques, picking out the right type of fabrics, helping me plan and cut and order batting. we went with a super thick batting and a minky fabric backing, making this the perfect quilt to lay out on ashley's hardwood floors for rhett to play on, or take on the road for a picnic, or throw in the bag to go to a friend's house- whatever, but perfectly suited to serve as a play mat. it turned out fantastic, soft, thick, and simple. i loved it.










i was thrilled by how it was all coming together. then, we found out she was going to have a boy! and that day i decided that little rhett needed not only a grey quilt, but something to match his room. so i went to shops looking for navys and whites and little bursts of lime green. i picked out another pattern and was excited to learn even more technique from jamie.












let me just say, to all you fearful readers out there thinking "a quilt?! i could never do that!" you could. easy peasy. with some time (ok a lot of time) and some willingness to learn and mess up and try again, you could do this. especially with the aid of an awesome friend like jamie. quilting is competely within the reach of anyone who wants to try. in fact, i liked quilting so much, i ended up making both mine and nathan's moms quilts for christmas! (more on that later!!). so, reader, check out my favorite quilting blog, www.modabakeshop.com, pick out a pattern, and get to work. i'd love to see what you make!!!